Post by Bored on Apr 10, 2009 14:59:38 GMT -5
BY TERRY LONCARIC Post-Tribune correspondent
Gallery honchos are not exactly beating down the door to exhibit their work.
But inmates from the Indiana State Prison have creatively broken free from their claustrophobic four walls, if only for a moment, to display their vivid work in a special exhibit. "Artists Within" features 72 works of art created by 16 inmates from Michigan City. Arranged by Indiana University Northwest and South Shore Arts, the exhibit is housed in Substation %239, a former NIPSCO substation that has been transformed into an art space.
Originally intended for Tamarack Hall at Indiana University, South Shore Arts offered a space for the exhibit after a flood damaged the IUN gallery. IUN Gallery director Ann Fritz said she thought it would be groundbreaking to host the work of prison inmates, who are rarely invited to share their work.
This is the first time Indiana University Northwest has partnered with the Indiana State Prison to feature the work of incarcerated artists.
Fritz said the men formed their own artists' guild to encourage one another to paint and to keep pushing their work outside the four walls, into community venues. So far, prisoners have shown their work at the Lakefront Festival, some Michigan galleries, and the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City. "It is outsider art, and that's an upcoming genre," Fritz said. "Every year I try to showcase a different group, and this is the group I chose. The prison is part of the community we serve."
Fritz said if you didn't know the artists were prisoners, you would simply think you were viewing the beautiful work of sensitive, diverse artists. The exhibit features paintings, drawings, and unique sculptures.
Fritz said there is a naivete that is refreshing in the prisoners' art work. The inmates have to paint their works of art in their jail cells with limited resources. Their paints and art supplies are provided by family members, not the prison.
"Many of these guys haven't had any training, and they haven't seen original work," Fritz said. "They're like children; their minds are like clean slates. Each artist is totally different. A lot of them are influenced by pop art. A lot of the art is cartoony like tattoo art. A lot of the prisoners use warm, vibrant colors."
The exhibit includes an oil painting of dolphins, a Virgin Mary kneeling at the foot of Christ's cross, an elaborate sculpture made from popcycle=2 0sticks, and a unique portrait of President Barack Obama with a double image of Obama and his inspiration, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
John Applegate, who created the Obama portrait, said he never took an art class, but began painting simply to pass the time.
"The Obama painting, when I first started it, I just sat there and some hours passed," recalled the 38-year-old prisoner. "I had no clue what time it was, and before I knew it, there it was. The thing I saw in my head was right there in front of me, and that is what I loved about it. I have an attachment to it."
Many artists, who could not afford supplies, have taken found objects and have crafted some amazing works of art. According to Fritz, one artist made a bird cage from popcycle sticks that contained the house he once lived in. "It's almost like he's foreseeing his future as a prisoner," Fritz said.
Fritz said another prisoner painted dolphins in the water, making a statement on his frustration with confinement. "The prisoner is saying he wanted to be free and alone," Fritz related. "There's some kind of symbolism there."
Applegate said when he painted Obama with such precision he realized even inside the prison walls he could feel stirred by a moment in history.
"This is the first thing that I've done that is something that I enjoyed doing," Applegate said, "that I didn't look upon as a burden. It's something I have in my life that is never going to go away."
Helen Gabriel, the director of education at the Indiana State Prison, said when inmates are given a creative outlet, it has a ripple effect. In their artwork, prisoners have a chance to reinvent their lives. Often they paint themselves in street clothes, expressing a strong desire they will someday be free men.
"To me, it's that one step that gives them legitimacy, the fact that other people are looking at their art, and not just behind the walls," Gabriel said.
"We're like family when we say, 'Oh, you're doing a good job,' but if somebody else takes a look at this, and they purchase it or ask to have it . . . that legitimizes it for them."
Fritz said in their art work, these inmates show us their humanity.
"Not only does it give them a voice, it gives them some self-esteem, so maybe when they get out, they won't be repeat offenders," Fritz reflected. "There's a creative side to all human beings, and when prisoners explore their creative side, it makes them seem more human -- more like us."
Gallery honchos are not exactly beating down the door to exhibit their work.
But inmates from the Indiana State Prison have creatively broken free from their claustrophobic four walls, if only for a moment, to display their vivid work in a special exhibit. "Artists Within" features 72 works of art created by 16 inmates from Michigan City. Arranged by Indiana University Northwest and South Shore Arts, the exhibit is housed in Substation %239, a former NIPSCO substation that has been transformed into an art space.
Originally intended for Tamarack Hall at Indiana University, South Shore Arts offered a space for the exhibit after a flood damaged the IUN gallery. IUN Gallery director Ann Fritz said she thought it would be groundbreaking to host the work of prison inmates, who are rarely invited to share their work.
This is the first time Indiana University Northwest has partnered with the Indiana State Prison to feature the work of incarcerated artists.
Fritz said the men formed their own artists' guild to encourage one another to paint and to keep pushing their work outside the four walls, into community venues. So far, prisoners have shown their work at the Lakefront Festival, some Michigan galleries, and the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City. "It is outsider art, and that's an upcoming genre," Fritz said. "Every year I try to showcase a different group, and this is the group I chose. The prison is part of the community we serve."
Fritz said if you didn't know the artists were prisoners, you would simply think you were viewing the beautiful work of sensitive, diverse artists. The exhibit features paintings, drawings, and unique sculptures.
Fritz said there is a naivete that is refreshing in the prisoners' art work. The inmates have to paint their works of art in their jail cells with limited resources. Their paints and art supplies are provided by family members, not the prison.
"Many of these guys haven't had any training, and they haven't seen original work," Fritz said. "They're like children; their minds are like clean slates. Each artist is totally different. A lot of them are influenced by pop art. A lot of the art is cartoony like tattoo art. A lot of the prisoners use warm, vibrant colors."
The exhibit includes an oil painting of dolphins, a Virgin Mary kneeling at the foot of Christ's cross, an elaborate sculpture made from popcycle=2 0sticks, and a unique portrait of President Barack Obama with a double image of Obama and his inspiration, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
John Applegate, who created the Obama portrait, said he never took an art class, but began painting simply to pass the time.
"The Obama painting, when I first started it, I just sat there and some hours passed," recalled the 38-year-old prisoner. "I had no clue what time it was, and before I knew it, there it was. The thing I saw in my head was right there in front of me, and that is what I loved about it. I have an attachment to it."
Many artists, who could not afford supplies, have taken found objects and have crafted some amazing works of art. According to Fritz, one artist made a bird cage from popcycle sticks that contained the house he once lived in. "It's almost like he's foreseeing his future as a prisoner," Fritz said.
Fritz said another prisoner painted dolphins in the water, making a statement on his frustration with confinement. "The prisoner is saying he wanted to be free and alone," Fritz related. "There's some kind of symbolism there."
Applegate said when he painted Obama with such precision he realized even inside the prison walls he could feel stirred by a moment in history.
"This is the first thing that I've done that is something that I enjoyed doing," Applegate said, "that I didn't look upon as a burden. It's something I have in my life that is never going to go away."
Helen Gabriel, the director of education at the Indiana State Prison, said when inmates are given a creative outlet, it has a ripple effect. In their artwork, prisoners have a chance to reinvent their lives. Often they paint themselves in street clothes, expressing a strong desire they will someday be free men.
"To me, it's that one step that gives them legitimacy, the fact that other people are looking at their art, and not just behind the walls," Gabriel said.
"We're like family when we say, 'Oh, you're doing a good job,' but if somebody else takes a look at this, and they purchase it or ask to have it . . . that legitimizes it for them."
Fritz said in their art work, these inmates show us their humanity.
"Not only does it give them a voice, it gives them some self-esteem, so maybe when they get out, they won't be repeat offenders," Fritz reflected. "There's a creative side to all human beings, and when prisoners explore their creative side, it makes them seem more human -- more like us."
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